The relationship between the Overcontrolled-Hostility Scale and the MMPI 4--3 high-point pair.

Investigated the relationship between the MMPI 4--3 high-point pair and the Overcontrolled-Hostility (O-H) scale in three different populations. Ss were assigned to the 4--3 condition based on the following two criteria: (1) Scales 3 (HY) and 4 (PD) greater than or equal to T-score of 65; (2) Scale 4 (PD) greater than Scale 3 (HY) greater than or equal to all other clinical scales. In the prison sample (N = 200), inmates who achieved the 4--3 high-point pair were found to earn significantly higher scores on the O-H scale relative to a group of age-matched controls. These results were cross-validated successfully in a sample of psychology clinic outpatients (N = 500), where patients were matched on both age and sex. A similar relationship was found between the presence of a 4-3 high-point pair and higher scores on the O-H scale in a state hospital (N = 102) sample, although the results did not reach statistical significance because of the restricted sample size.